In My Arms, Tonight
by miyakOoO-chan
Summary: "Find the comfort and the reassurance you yearn for in my arms, tonight. No matter what, I will never leave you. Believe me. I am here. I promise that I will always be by your side." One-shot.


**In My Arms, Tonight**

**Author's Note: **This story has been stuck in my laptop for months now. Seriously. This is a one-shot, I suppose. The first one-shot I have ever written. I'm not that trained in writing short stories such as this, so please bear with me. No need for those long summaries I make. Enjoy! (:

**Summary: **"Find the comfort and the reassurance you yearn for in my arms, tonight. No matter what, I will never leave you. Believe me. I am here. I promise that I will always be by your side." –Saeki Teru.

* * *

My feet were pulsating against the wet pavement. Snow sloshed in minute distances through every direction. I felt my body shivered in the arctic breeze, so I tightened my coat around my frail, skinny body. My throat is smoldering as I fought the urge to cry, the only thing that manage to propel me forward was the immense thought of my parents and brother.

The city was silent, save for the soft jingling of bells and the silent humming of the radios. The usual reverberations and illuminations of the approaching New Year that echoes and shines throughout the city annually weren't there. Vibrant, multihued pyrotechnics that had awakened and dazzled the city every dawn of the approaching year were not even present. Just the thought of it dampens the spirits of the city's public because of all the days that a strapping snowstorm would transpire; it would be on New Year's Eve. It was immensely exceptional for a whiteout to occur on New Year's Eve.

I would have sat at the corner of my bedroom; moping and sulking, except my spirits were not absolutely trampled over by such situation. He called about a minute ago, and he had asked me to join him in the shrine tomorrow, regardless of the weather. What did he say? Oh, right. _Are you free tomorrow? I know it's the New Year, a snowy New Year, but I am kind of hoping you will join me to the shrine… and I want to see your face. Wait, forget about what I said._

I hummed in mirth as I turned my closet upside-down, eager to unearth the kimono I have purchased from saving a month's stipend and remuneration from my part-time job. It was a cerulean-colored kimono, with a fine print of cherry blossom flowers. He indirectly enlightened me of his favored colors, being the color of the ocean as his preference. It has been days since I have last seen him, it appears that he has been busy with work; tomorrow is a possibility to see him for the New Year.

Honestly… I did miss him. A whole lot. Just the immediate thought of seeing him tomorrow made my heart leap a thousand cartwheels.

Yet, the moment my phone's ringtone reverberated loudly right through my room, I gulped down the terrible feeling that stirred within my chest. A call in the dead of the night. I walked up to it, balling my hands into fist as to fight the quivering of my fingers. I slowly laced my fingers along the vibrating gadget and peeked at the smaller screen on its surface. It was a number I do not recognize. I heeded the sound of Yuu knocking on my frigid window. His eyes mirrored panic and hysteria as he was pointing on my phone. I flipped open the phone and instantly answered it.A man, with a deep baritone voice spoke, not to me, but to someone else. His tone was alarming, as if he was talking to a prey he was about to kill. "Souma Yuna?" He mumbled after clearing his throat. "Hello? Please do answer."

My fingers were, by now, shaking hysterically. I took an unfathomable mouthful of air and sighed. "Souma Yuna, speaking." I answered. "May I ask who is speaking?"

"This is the Habataki General Hospital." The man said, his voice formal and serene, yet behind it, I felt the same dread and panic. "There has been an accident." An intruding tear managed to slide down my cheek from my left eye. Yuu was already banging my frigid window open, but to no avail. He was bellowing something, but I couldn't comprehend it fully. "Accident?" I croaked breathlessly.

"I advise you to come as hurriedly as possible at the hospital." He said, sympathy ringing in his voice.

That was it. I burst open the glass doors of the hospital, with Yuu closely behind me. I cringe at the scent of the hospital: medicine mingling in my nose, the bright white shade of the walls and somehow, made an impression of death at the back of my mind. My coat was clammy from the snowstorm brewing frantically beyond the doors, as my boots and the half portion of my pants. I sauntered towards the brown, wooden counter greeting me at the center of the lobby. A woman with a white hat of a nurse managed a smile and nodded. A fake smile.

"How may I help you?" She asked monotonously. She kept eyeing me and Yuu with our damp clothes, as if she is warning us she'd throw us at anytime. I handed her my phone, and asked her to call the doctor who owns the number that called me minutes ago. Her passive dilemma disappeared as she quickly nodded, and pressed a button adjacent the computer. She spoke a string of words: acronyms, numbers and letters. Then she paused, her hand on the button. A doctor, in a white coat and a stethoscope hanging around his neck, emerged from the second door from the right, behind the foyer. "Thank you." He gestured at the nurse, and glanced at me. "Souma Yuna?"

I gave a timid smile and nodded. He gestured us to the right hallway, the direction where the ICU was located. I gulped down the second urge to cry. Now was not the time. Yuu held the sleeve of my coat as the doctor led as through a series of hallways. "Accident?" I said again and from the corner of my eye, the doctor mouthed 'yes'.

"It was not too far from here." He said, his voice was calm. "As they were speeding through the intersection, a truck from the adjacent road hit the car. The impact has been terrible." He pursed his lips tightly and glanced back at me. He seems to be hesitating, so I urged him to continue. "Turns out, the truck driver has just came from a New Year's Eve party, thus, drunk. He was supposed to stop, since the red light lit brightly on the stoplights." He continued. "Your brother received the least impact. He is recovering in a regular hospital room, minor bruises, nothing more. However," We reached the end of the hallway, through another glass door was two bodies connected to several machines.

"Your parents were not as lucky." He murmured. "You dad has a few broken ribs and left thigh. A hairline fracture and a concussion. Your mom, however. We revived her twice during the operation due to major blood loss. Some of—"

I tried to block out everything the doctor was saying. In simple terms, they are in terrible shape and probably walking the borders of death and life. The dam of tears broke, and I felt the blackness creeping out.

* * *

My mom died that night. Two nights later, my dad—well, you know. My brother somehow managed to survive, yet he was traumatized and fuming. I couldn't shake off the image I saw when he awoke. Devastated. Pained. He was screaming at the top off his voice when he faced the drunk driver who killed our parents. Miraculously, no news leaked out over the spring break, and I was thankful that nobody knows. As I stepped into the gates of the school, I had the sudden urge to ran back home, away from the probing eyes of the people. But I keep telling myself that nobody knows. Though probably, the irrational portion of my heart says, to run away… because I was certain he'd be angry. I haven't contacted anyone since that night. Not even told his magnificent soul.

I wrapped my overcoat tightly around my skinny shoulders. The wind has considerably picked up speed and frost. It stung my eyes, although I distantly conjecture if it was actually the wind, or perhaps another dam of scalding tears. More or less three meters from the school gates, I was able discern the tall, stunning physique of the person I love the most. His back was facing me, and all I ever desired and wanted was to wrap my arms around his waist, inhale his scent and drown in his warmth which offers me nothing but comfort. I took a step forward, and hesitated.

His eyes pierced through me, accusingly and grudgingly. His scowl was palpable. He neither waved a greeting nor sent those smiles that made me fall on my knees. He stood there, at the middle of the walkway, his hands in his pocket. I took a step forward and another, but he just simply nodded, turned his head forward, and sauntered away from me. I wanted to bellow for his name, however, the moment I opened my lips for a sound, none escaped. I closed my eyes, and the dam of unshed tears broke. I ran, to no particular destination, and somehow, I managed to end up at the beach.

I realize I was selfish. I stood him up, on New Year's Day, and you don't do that to anyone. Especially to the person you love the most. I owed him a load of elucidations and enlightenments on what had transpired on the last spring break. I should have told him. I needed someone to be my rock… after what had happened. The first person that came into my mind was him. Yet I was so afraid of everything. I was afraid of being an object of pity and mockery, and I do not desire any of the pity people would throw at me.

I might have fallen asleep, but when I opened my eyes and shuddered, the sun bathed the beach with its carroty hue, as it descended into the horizon, leaving hue of royal purple in the sky in its wake. I got up, shook the stray snow that have built up on my head and on my coat and strolled slowly to Sangosho. To my dismay, he was standing at the summit of the stairs, his arms crossed on his chest. His scowl, though softened considerably, still gazed at me with grudge and disbelief. I opened my mouth, determined to ring out an explanation, but it's as if my strength left my body.

"I won't ask anything. You don't deserve... never mind. " He said dismissively, raking his hand through his hair. He opened his lips, as if he was to speak another stretch of sentences, but he abruptly pursed them in a very tight line. "Go inside." He threw his overcoat around my shoulders, and sauntered back to the entrance of the café. I stretched out my hand, eager to reach him.

"Teru!" I called, but he speedily disappeared into the double doors of the café. I ended up not saying anything. I closed my eyes, and felt the scalding heat of tears. I wanted him to shout at me. The day rapidly approached its end, with me and Teru not exclusively speaking. At one point, Master asked me from the counter if we had a brawl, but all I gave him was a slight nod and a timid smile. Master placed his hand on my shoulder and grasped it gently while he smiled knowingly and reassuringly. It was from that grin that I apprehended, somehow, that Master knew about what had happened at the dawn of New Year's Eve.

"Yuna." Teru called, before I managed to step out of the double doors, after my shift ended. "May I talk—to you?" At the corner of my eye, Master nodded stiffly, and smiled.

Before I could even respond, he took my hands and interlaced his with mine. He strolled with me by the beach but no one was speaking. For a moment, he grasped my hands tightly and he abruptly pulled me in his arms. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and exhaled loudly. "Yuna, I'm so, so sorry. I—I understand."

"Teru, I—"

"Please. Don't talk. Find the comfort and the reassurance you yearn for in my arms, tonight. No matter what, I will never leave you." He said, cutting me off. His arms around me tightened, and he kissed the top of my tresses. "Grandpa, my old man. He told me everything. Cry if you want. I know that I do not have the power to change what had happen, nor bring back your parents alive. But please, believe me. I am here. I promise that I will always be by your side."

I grasped him tightly, and buried my face on his chest. "Teru, I believe you."

The sky had cleared from any obscuring clouds. The stars were twinkling. The moon was fondly shining on us. I can see it, beyond the tears.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Er, not the ending I am expecting to write, but anyhow. It ended up nicely, though. I thought of this story for ages, and I forgot how I should run this story. Anyway, thank you so much for reading. Comments and reviews are highly appreciated, as well as constructive criticisms. Follows and favorites are also appreciated. :)


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